The district contains East Midlands Airport. Castle Donington is notable as the location of Donington Park, a grand-prix circuit and a major venue for music festivals. The area has a long history of mineral extraction, with coal, brick clay, gravel and granite amongst the products. All the deep coal mines in the area have closed, but opencast mining still continues.
The district was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the whole area of five former districts plus a single parish from a sixth, which districts were all abolished at the same time:[2]
The council has been under no overall control since the 2023 election, being run by an alliance of the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and two of the independent councillors, led by Conservative councillor Richard Blunt.[8]
The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until coming into its powers on 1 April 1974. Since 1974 political control of the council has been as follows:[9]
The Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and two of the independent councillors sit together as the "Alliance Group" which forms the council's administration.[12] The next election is due in 2027.
Since the last boundary changes in 2015 the district has comprised 38 wards, each of which elects one councillor. Elections are held every four years.[13]
The council meets at Stenson House on London Road in Coalville. The building was built in 1934 as the headquarters of the old Coalville Urban District Council.[15] Following the creation of North West Leicestershire in 1974 the building was significantly extended to the rear. In 2022 the extension was closed pending demolition, and the council opened a new customer services centre on Belvoir Road, retaining and refurbishing the 1934 front part of Stenson House to be used for meetings and civic functions.[16]
North West Leicestershire has experienced steady population growth in recent times as the district balances the agro-rural economy with the end of labour-intensive deep coal-mining. Alternative employment opportunities exist within the district in the services and distributive sectors, together with local or nearby manufacturing and extractive/transformative/construction industries. The lack of rail services to/from Leicester, Loughborough and other nearby centres limits access for employment, commerce and leisure to a road journey that competes with freight and heavy-haulage vehicles especially to the south and east.
Since 2013 Norton Motorcycles has its head office in Donington Hall, Castle Donington.[20]BMI (British Midland), an airline, was headquartered in Donington Hall.[21] The airline moved its headquarters to Donington Hall in 1982.[22] The subsidiary bmibaby also had its head office in Donington Hall.[23]
Prior to its disestablishment, Excalibur Airways had its head office on the grounds of East Midlands Airport in Castle Donington.[24] Prior to its disestablishment, Orion Airways had its head office on the grounds of East Midlands Airport.[25]
In 2011 Coalfield Resources plc were given permission to develop an opencast coal mining pit on the site of the former Minorca colliery between Measham and Swepstone on a seam which will be 1 mi (1.6 km) across and extract 1,250,000 tonnes (1,380,000 tons) of coal over five years, and 250,000 tonnes (280,000 tons) of clay.[26]
Most of the district is covered by civil parishes. Parts of the former Coalville Urban District covering the main part of Coalville and the Thringstone area are unparished areas.[7] The parish councils for Ashby-de-la-Zouch and Ashby Woulds have declared their parishes to be towns, allowing them to take the style "town council". (Whilst Ibstock is a post town and Castle Donington is sometimes called a town, neither parish council has formally declared them to be towns.)[32] The parishes are:[33]
On a wreath Argent Sable and Vert within a circlet of six lozenges conjoined Sable flames Proper issuant therefrom a demi-Lion Or gorged with a collar Gules bezanty and holding a Hhxagon Argent charged with a maunch Sable.
Escutcheon
Per chevron Argent and Sable in chief two ash trees couped and in base on a granite rock issuant Proper a castle of three towers Argent on a chief Vert between two garbs a mitre affrontée Or charged with two crosses formy Gules.
